What's the worst unsolicited parenting advice you've been given by a stranger?

[Gemed]

I'll go first... I was walking with my nearly 1 year old in the carrier. He loves to look up at the trees and the sky. A stranger said I need to be supporting his head. He's not a newborn for christ sake! I just said he has good head control and walked on. I can deal with the 'no socks' comments but this one got me riled up.

I don't think I've ever had unsolicited advice from a stranger. It usually comes from my mother 😂

Are you going to get something done about THAT?

That being her facial birthmark. Which faded, naturally, being barely noticeable by school and almost invisible now. (Unlike the scar she got from sitting her face open at swimming aged 3!)

Me too or the MIL.
Both were anti breastfeeding, you name it, BFing got the blame!!!

My little one jumping in puddles with their wellies on, a man walked by and said “don’t let her do that, foxes wee in the puddles…”
I couldn’t even respond - it was such a batshit comment

I was told I shouldn’t have my baby daughter in a navy pram because it made people think she was a boy.

Not a stranger but my school doctor asked me if I wanted my ears pinning back. They stick out a bit but up until that point I wasn’t really aware of it. I was about 10 at the time so that set me up well for my teenage years 😂

I also see a lady walking her dogs when I walk mine and I’m never sure if she’s forgotten she’s already had this conversation with me or if she really wants to hammer home her opinion - but my dogs shouldn’t have been vaccinated and shouldn’t have flea or tick treatment, apparently.

"Put him in the nursery straight away" from the woman in the bed next to me in the maternity ward, "or he'll be clingy all his life".
He slept in our room until just after he was two. He's had a highly successful academic career and travelled widely.

Just realised this is parenting - sorry! 😂

People advising me on how to get my child (fussy/food issues) to just eat what is put in front of him.

Arseholes

Oh, it's such nonsense. I always completely ignored the food advice. Mine have turned out to be healthy adults, in spite of one of them going through a phase of only eating chicken nuggets!

Let the baby fit around your life - not the other way around!

by someone who didn’t have kids at the time. They haven’t repeated this advice after kids strangely enough

😂

Years and years of my parents telling me ds needed firmer discipline and boundaries and the only reason he becomes dysregulated is because I don't provide them. I do and he is quite severely autistic.

We were in Jamaica with our 6 month old DD and she had a cold. A member of staff advised me to take her to the ocean and dunk her under three times so that the salt water would clear her sinuses. I imagine there's some sense to it, but I didn't have the heart to give it a try 😂

'Make sure you stop breastfeeding before she gets teeth'

‘Treasure every moment’ when my two year old was going batshit crazy on the ground during a tantrum.

I wouldnt have done it either but they might have been on to something

news.sky.com/story/giving-children-salt-water-nasal-drops-can-cut-duration-of-a-cold-and-stop-it-spreading-study-suggests-13210224

😲

My scuba instructor was big on this...can't imagine doing it to a baby though 😅

Took DS to M&S aged about 6 days (bc I wanted to get out the house!), lots of lovely comments from strangers at a distance, then one woman STUCK HER HEAD IN THE PRAM WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING whilst I was grabbing something from a shelf and then said 'I can't believe you'd bring a baby out so little, they'll get germs from strangers' 😂

I'm childless (sadly).

The unsolicited parenting advice I've had from multiple women while admiring their lovely tots is;

"Don't have one. They ruin your life!"

Not bad advice but unnecessary advice. DS toddling along spots some dog poo starts making a bee line towards it whilst pointing at it. I am obviously just about to redirect him when a stranger says "you shouldn't let him touch the dog poo".

A woman at my synagogue told me I ought to stop breastfeeding my son "when he can wear shoes". I was speechless. A baby can surely wear shoes from birth! Such an arbitrary and random thing. I'm still breastfeeding the blighter at nearly 2, which would give her conniptions if she knew of it.

I've heard this before as far as I am aware they mean when they are walking around as whilst a baby 'can' wear shoes before this its best they dont.

A mother of toddlers recently at a holiday park told me I ought to be next to my 9 year old on the playground rather than "sat there drinking". (For context, he was playing absolutely fine with his holiday friends on age-appropriate equipment). She didn't say it to any of the dads also sat there drinking, surprisingly.

I gave her a thumbs up and pondered whether she'll ever cringe about saying it!